EPA Announces Deletion of Davis Timber Company Site in Hattiesburg, Miss. From Superfund National Priorities List

Today the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that in Fiscal Year (FY) 2018, the Agency deleted all or part of 22 sites from Superfund's National Priorities List (NPL) including the Davis Timber Company site in Hattiesburg, Miss.The Davis Timber Company site is among the largest number of site deletions in one year since FY 2005, and a significant increase over the past few years.

"Under President Trump, EPA is deleting Superfund sites from the National Priorities List at the fastest pace in more than a decade," said EPA Acting Administrator Andrew Wheeler. "This remarkable accomplishment is proof that cleaning up contaminated lands and returning them to safe and productive use is a top priority of the Trump EPA."

The 30-acre Davis Timber Company site includes an area where the company operated a wood-preserving facility from 1972 to the late 1980s. EPA placed the site on the NPL in 2000 because of contaminated groundwater, soil and sediment resulting from facility operations. Cleanup was completed in September 2012, and the site is currently in reuse by the Hub City Humane Society as an animal shelter and dog park. The site won the Excellence in Site Reuse Award in 2015. Under the Trump Administration, the Superfund program has reemerged as a priority to fulfill and strengthen the Agency's core mission of protecting human health and the environment. In May 2017, EPA launched the Superfund Task Force to provide recommendations for improving and expediting site cleanups and promoting redevelopment.

Site deletions have been a major focus of the Superfund Task Force. The Task Force reviewed existing policies and procedures related to deleting sites from the NPL and issued several recommendations. In addition, the Superfund program began providing the EPA administrator's office with monthly updates on upcoming deletions. Through these and other actions, EPA deleted 18 sites and portions of four more sites in FY 2018, a significant increase over the six full or partial sites deleted in FY 2017, and the three in FY 2016.

Another significant Task Force achievement in FY 2018 was increasing the annual number of sites returned to communities for redevelopment. By redeveloping Superfund sites, communities are able to reuse thousands of acres of formerly contaminated land, often strengthening local economies. Many sites that EPA has designated as ready for reuse in previous years now host parks, business districts, renewable energy facilities, wildlife habitat, neighborhoods and farms. In FY 2018, EPA committed to increase the number of NPL sites that achieved sitewide ready for anticipated use (SWRAU) by roughly 25 percent over the previous year. Through focused management attention and improved program practices, EPA achieved this goal: 51 sites reached SWRAU in FY 2018, the highest total since FY 2013.

The NPL includes the nation's most serious hazardous waste sites. The list serves as the basis for prioritizing EPA Superfund cleanup funding and enforcement actions. EPA deletes sites from the NPL when no further cleanup is required to protect human health or the environment.

One of EPA's goals for the Superfund program is to return sites to communities for productive use. EPA encourages site reuse throughout the cleanup process, as appropriate, to maximize redevelopment opportunities. Superfund deletions can aid redevelopment efforts by offering a clear signal to developers and financial institutions that Superfund cleanup is complete.

In coming years, EPA will continue its on focus deleting sites through training and sharing information about the most effective approaches for moving sites to deletion.

EPA is scheduled to conclude its work on the Superfund Task Force recommendations in 2019.